Coronavirus

Fall back, Neil Young ... Joe Rogan's plenty capable of ripping himself, and is openly questioning why anyone would take medical advice from the freakin' host of "Fear Factor."

Rogan was onstage Tuesday night in Austin doing stand-up, and dug into his recent podcast controversies ... saying he was disgusted seeing the compilation video of his repeated, uncensored use of the n-word.

Rogan told the crowd -- whose phones were locked to block all recordings -- "That was racist as f**k. Even to me! I’m me and I’m watching it saying, ‘Stop saying it!’ I put my cursor over the video and I’m like, ‘Four more minutes?!'”

He was even more self-deprecating when it came to the COVID-19/anti-vaxx criticisms ... saying he's completely unqualified to offer medical advice.

He's made the point before, but this was more biting -- “If you’re taking vaccine advice from me, is that really my fault? What dumb s**t were you about to do when my stupid idea sounded better? ‘You know that dude who made people eat animal dicks on TV? How does he feel about medicine?’ If you want my advice, don’t take my advice.”

Micah Beals -- aka, Micah Femia -- was filmed this week harassing a couple guys on a NYC subway train over their mask-wearing ... and things got ugly quick.

Check out the clip ... you see a man we're told is Beals, who has appeared on "Parks and Recreation" and other shows, sitting by himself on a bench before turning his attention to another man down the way -- taunting and insulting the guy over his face covering.

The man seems to do a good job at ignoring Beals, but the dude persists in his barbs -- calling him a sheep, a "p***y" and then finally, a homophobic slur. Beals also appears to be drinking a beer, and once he realizes he's being filmed by a second person across from him ... he zeroes in there too.

The end of the video appears to show Beals ramping up to kick the man recording, but cuts out before we can see what happened.

We've got a call in to cops to see if Beals was reported. No word back yet.

Speaking of NYPD, Beals is the same guy police ID'd for allegedly splashing paint onto a bronze bust of George Floyd in Union Square a few months back ... and he ended up getting charged with criminal mischief. That incident, too, was caught on camera.

Joe Rogan getting called out for repeatedly using the n-word in the past is getting an expected whataboutism treatment -- with comparisons being made to Howard Stern.

Here's the deal ... in the wake of Rogan apologizing for his previous usage of the slur, fans of his are now up in arms over the fact that other famous people in Hollywood have also hurled it with impunity, including Stern ... who infamously did so on his old show.

Stern has also donned blackface in some of these instances -- but one that's making the rounds now is a sketch he did in 1993, where he was mocking the Ted Danson-Whoopi Goldberg incident.

With Stern playing the part of Ted -- and Sherman Hemsley portraying Whoopi -- the former drops the n-word A LOT as he lampoons the real-life event ... and right to the face of two Black people, no less. Indeed, it's pretty damn offensive ... even in the context of a skit.

Now, despite HS addressing this exact moment just a couple years ago -- when he said he regretted the Danson blackface gag, adding he'd grown as a person -- many Rogan defenders are resurfacing this clip again and asking ... well, what about Howard Stern?!?

Of course, they're totally missing the point ... namely, that Stern WAS, in fact, called out and just like JR has now done -- he, too, went on the air to apologize for it ... as there WAS outrage at the time, just like there is right now after people discovered Joe's past use.

There also seems to be a misnomer over the term "canceled" as it pertains to these two -- some seem to think that because Joe is the most recent one to be under the microscope ... he's getting silenced or de-platformed, and that Stern should suffer the same treatment.

The reality, though, is he most certainly isn't being censored. Spotify's made clear they're standing by their man (even though they have erased a ton of those controversial episodes with the n-word) ... and Joe doesn't realistically face cancelation, as it were.

Friday is Oscar De La Hoya's 49th birthday, but the Golden Boy did more giving than receiving on his special day ... by preparing and handing out meals to the critically ill.

TMZ Sports has learned ... ODHL and his GF, Holly Sonders, hit up Project Angel Food in L.A. to give back to the community as part of his bday celebration.

The boxing legend and his lady helped by preparing food and packaging them for those who have a high risk of COVID infection or living with COVID.

Check out the footage -- Oscar's meals even have a personalized label featuring his picture and a special message of encouragement for the recipient.

Of course, COVID-19 hit close to home for Oscar and Holly -- in fact, De La Hoya was hospitalized for 3 days with the virus ... and was forced to back out of his fight against Vitor Belfort.

Because of his experience, Oscar says he knew he wanted to help out in any way he could.

But, don't worry -- there was also some celebrating going on ... with Oscar cutting up an incredible customized cake to share with everyone.

The Mayor of Los Angeles is ripping a page out of Bill Clinton's playbook ... insisting he was holding his breath while posing for pics without a face mask -- and claiming it was totally COVID-safe as a result.

Mayor Eric Garcetti is catching flak for a pic he took at SoFi Stadium on Sunday during the NFC Championship game -- he was smiling big in the shot with Magic Johnson, but not wearing a mask.

He responded to the criticism by telling KCBS, "People want a picture, I hold my breath. Zero risk." Yes, he said that with a straight face.

In other words, "I didn't inhale" ... much like President Clinton famously claimed back in 1992 about smoking marijuana while he was going to college in England.

If Clinton's claim made you chuckle, Garcetti's has to be a full LOL. The reality is, hizzoner the Mayor's hardly the only person who went maskless at the game -- we all know people who've done it.

But, it's yet another example of the apparent hypocrisy from politicians who encourage their citizens to wear masks, while not following the mandates in public.

Speaking of which, Cali's Gov. Gavin Newsom -- ripped for his infamous indoor dining at French Laundry in 2020 -- also took a maskless photo with Magic during the Rams-49ers matchup. No word if he too employed the breathless method.

The Super Bowl is just 10 days away and health officials in Los Angeles are warning all you sneaky fans plotting a way around the mask mandate ... don't even think about it!!

L.A. County -- where the game will take place on February 13 -- requires everyone over 2 years old at large scale events over 5,000 people, regardless of vaccination status, to mask up ... except when chowing down.

"That doesn't mean buy a bucket of popcorn and eat it for two hours. Actively eating and drinking," a SoFi Stadium executive said according to Fox 5 in San Diego, adding, "We are on to you."

Officials say they're ready to crack down on any of the 70,000+ fans who will ascend on the $5.5 billion stadium next Sunday ... but admitted it's a monumental task.

"It's a challenge. It's a very large building but we are prepared and ready to go," the NFL's head of live events said, continuing ... "We have had two years of experience of planning under COVID and we're extremely confident in the plans that we have in place."

Now, let's be honest ... this is a rule that is virtually impossible to enforce. How do you determine who's eating slow? What's even considered slow? And, how do you deal with the sheer number of people?

In fact, just last weekend during the NFC Championship Game against the 49ers at SoFi Stadium, California governor Gavin Newsom landed in hot water when he was caught taking a photo with Magic Johnson -- without a mask.

Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti also took a maskless photo with the Lakers legend ... but don't worry, he said he was holding his breath (he said this with a straight face).

In addition to requiring the masks, event staff will also require fans to show vaccination proof prior to entering the stadium. The stadium has also been outfitted with hundreds of hand sanitizers.

Sharon Stone says Joe Rogan's new approach to discussing COVID-19 is empty lip-service if he continues spreading misinformation, and adds there's only one thing he needs to disclaim.

The actress and activist held nothing back when we saw her Tuesday in Bev Hills, and brought up Rogan's podcast.

We pointed out several celebs had come out in support of Joe, but Sharon's not buying his and Spotify's new policy -- namely, adding a disclaimer at the beginning of episodes, and offsetting controversial COVID viewpoints with a "mainstream" take as well.

Sharon tells us the only "disclaimer" she wants from Joe is for him being an "a**hole." Watch the clip (pardon the soft focus due to equipment snafu) ... but, in a nutshell ... she says it's too late for Rogan's new balanced approach.

In her mind, his interviews and COVID theories have already cost people their lives. Might sound harsh, but that's her POV, which she says it's based on doing significant work in the field of infections diseases.

SS lays out her creds, particularly on HIV ... seeing the horrors of deadly viruses while working with leading doctors and scientists, including Dr. Anthony Fauci.

And when it comes to COVID, it's personal for Sharon. You'll recall, the virus killed her grandmother and godmother ... and her sister and sister's husband were both hospitalized because of it.

Steve Kornacki certainly knows his way around stats, but says a poll asking if we should get back to normal -- as it pertains to COVID -- isn't as clear as the numbers make it seem.

We talked to NBC's go-to data journalist at LAX about a recent Monmouth University poll which posed the question: "Time to Accept Covid and Move On?" The responses were somewhat surprising.

The overall consensus seems to be yes, we oughta just learn to live with COVID and start getting back to normal, but as SK points out to us here ... that means different things for different people.

While Monmouth's poll indicates a majority of Americans agree with that general sentiment about the virus, Steve notes it's a bit ill-defined as to what folks might consider "normal" these days. He even suggests a more precise poll question would net further splintered results.

As you might know, there's a growing chorus of opinions that we should do away with all 'rona-related mandates -- masks, vaccines, etc. -- and literally go back to how we lived our lives pre-2020 ... which has been echoed by the likes of Bill Maher and his guests.

Of course, there are just as many people who continue to be wary and insist we're still very much in the midst of a deadly pandemic.

Mojo Muhtadi is making a return to the ring ... 19 months after the professional wrestler (and TMZ Sports TV show co-host) says he contracted a terrible case of COVID-19 that was so serious it nearly killed him.

35-year-old Muhtadi talked about his battle with the virus on Monday's episode of the show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... and it sounds incredibly harrowing.

"I've been struggling with a 19-month fight with COVID, actually. I got it last June 2020, far back as that. Really had a rough go. Had to go the hospital, I had a fever of 104 for quite some time and I developed a really bad lung injury out of it somehow." Mojo says.

"I guess that's just kinda the nature of COVID. My lungs are just in bad shape. I couldn't lay on my back or my side for a long time because it was suffocating me. Tight shirts were challenging and there were just days I couldn't speak. I couldn't get in enough air to talk, couldn't leave the house. Kinda had to shut down everything and just focus on literally every single solitary breath at a time to try and make it through the day. It was a really challenging thing."

Of course, Muhtadi is a former WWE Superstar ... wrestling under the name Mojo Rawley. He was a 7x WWE 24/7 Champ during his tenure in Vince McMahon's company.

Now, Mojo isn't ready to step foot back in the squared circle right away ... but he's ramping up his training, and getting closer to a return by the day.

"I'm feeling better. I'm definitely not out of it yet. I'm still having some issues. I even had some yesterday, but we're feeling good enough to start training again and start lining up some matches to start really test this thing out."

Mojo says the time away was tough ... so hard he had to stop watching wrestling.

"Honestly, it was brutal. I had to stop watching for a long time. I was getting too jealous. I was hating from my couch."

Joe Rogan is getting support after saying he can do better on his podcast ... but some celebs still aren't buying it.

The Rock was more than good with Joe's mea culpa, saying, "Great stuff here brother. Perfectly articulated. Look forward to coming on one day and breaking out the tequila with you."

Kelly Slater echoed the sentiment ... "Love to see you offer to bring on Neil Young and/or Joni Mitchell on with whoever they want by their side to refute whatever it is they're so pissed about. If they're for truth it should be an easy convo. I'll be looking forward to their replies if so."

Jewel said, "You're doing a great job. Keep it up."

Jamie Kennedy said, "Tell me 1 person in mainstream media that is this transparent and this open. Go ahead, I'll wait."

And, former Presidential candidate Marianne Williamson said, "I'm triple vaxxed, but (unless they're standing for hate or calling for violence) banning someone's podcast is too much like burning a book to me," adding, "Joe Rogan should talk on his podcast about whatever he damn well pleases."

And, human rights activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali tripled down ... "this is exactly why Joe Rogan's podcast is so popular. He is open to different perspectives and listsens to people without judgment."

R&B singer India Arie, was unmoved by Rogan's apology, declaring she will follow in Neil Young's footsteps and take her music off Spotify, saying her decision is not based on just COVID misinformation ... it's based on race.

Last week philosopher Jordan Peterson jumped on Joe's podcast and the 2 had a talk about what it means to be Black. They're both white, and they made a bizarre point ... that Rogan understands because he's Italian.

Joe Rogan vowed to do better in the wake of criticism his podcast is spreading COVID misinformation ... and he says he knows how to make things better and more responsible.

Rogan broke his silence Sunday ... this after Neil Young and others yanked their music off Spotify in protest.

Rogan said he's down with Spotify's disclaimer when guests go against prevailing science ... a disclaimer urging folks to talk to their physician. The disclaimer will also note the views discussed are contrary to those of experts.

But, Rogan went further, acknowledging he should have done more ... like immediately after saying goodbye to a guest who goes against the grain, he'll bring on someone with mainstream views. He says he will do that from now on.

Rogan was contrite, telling Spotify he was sorry the platform has taken heat over his podcast. Joe also said he's a huge Neil Young fan and has no hard feelings toward him.

That said, Rogan began by saying the term "misinformation" is relative ... he says some of what was considered irresponsible to say early on in the pandemic has become a conventional point of view.

Kanye West needs a shot in the arm ... if he wants a shot at performing down under.

Kanye reportedly has his eyes set on performing a couple of stadium concerts in Australia in March ... but he said recently on the "Drink Champs" podcast he's only one jab in. Australia requires 2 shots for entry into the country.

If anyone is wondering whether Aussie officials are serious, take a look at how they booted Novak Djokovic from the country on the heels of the Australian Open. And the government fought hard to boot him ... there were court hearings that went back and forth for nearly 2 weeks.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison made it clear Saturday ... celebs are not exempt from the rules of COVID, saying, "Those are the rules. They apply to everybody, as people have seen most recently. It doesn’t matter who you are, they are the rules. Follow the rules. You can come. You don’t follow the rules, you can’t."

It's unclear if Kanye has received the second dose or plans to ... Ye said, "I traveled to Paris a couple of weeks ago, and I had to go through Lisbon because you can go through Lisbon without being vaccinated."

Kanye has had issues with the vaccine in the past ... in 2020 he called it "the mark of the beast" and claimed it was an attempt to microchip people.

It's interesting ... it seems Australia kicked Djokovic out because he's an anti-vaxer and his views are damaging to a country promoting vaccines. Kanye's past comments may not serve him well if there's an issue with the Australian government.

Neil Young has more company in his Spotify bailout campaign ... this time the likes of the guitarist for none other than The Boss himself.

Nils Lofgren is 86'ing his music from Spotify ... to protest the vaccine misinformation on Joe Rogan's podcast.

Nils said, "A few days ago, my wife Amy and I became aware of Neil and Daryl [Hannah] standing with hundreds of health care professionals, scientists, doctors and nurses in calling out Spotify for promoting lies and misinformation that are hurting and killing people."

He went on ... "When these heroic women and men, who’ve spent their lives healing and saving ours, cry out for help you don’t turn your back on them for money and power. You listen and stand with them."

Nils is a major musician ... a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, longtime Crazy Horse and E Street Band member ... but he's not one of the younger musicians who might make this a horse race for Spotify.

As we reported, Neil Young gave his ultimatum before yanking his music off the platform, and Joni Mitchell followed.

Nils is now asking other musicians to follow his lead.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have jumped into the Spotify/Joe Rogan fracas ... urging the platform to blunt "serious harms" over COVID misinformation.

As you know, the couple has a lucrative deal with Spotify -- $30 mil -- but they've come out swinging, with their rep saying, "Since the inception of Archewell, we have worked to address the real-time global misinformation crisis. Hundreds of millions of people are affected by the serious harms of rampant mis- and disinformation every day."

The rep went on ...  "Last April, our co-founders began expressing concerns to our partners at Spotify about the all-too-real consequences of COVID-19 misinformation on its platform. We have continued to express our concerns to Spotify to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis. We look to Spotify to meet this moment and are committed to continuing our work together as it does.”

As we reported, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and now Nils Lofgren have yanked their music off Spotify, in protest of Rogan. Meghan and Harry have not pulled the plug ... instead, they're just asking.

Joe Rogan has triggered another Spotify exit ... this time Joni Mitchell.

The 78-year-old singer said, "I've decided to remove my music from Spotify. Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives."

The issue, of course, is Rogan's conversations about COVID ... which critics say contain false information about the virus and the vaccine ... information they say is dangerous and even deadly.

As you know, Rogan's the king of the hill over at Spotify with a reported $100 million deal. His podcast is also the most popular around. Neil Young took a stand earlier in the week, essentially saying, "him or me" ... knowing Spotify would not 86 Rogan. Young asked that his music be removed.

Young and Mitchell are both legendary musicians.  She won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Kennedy Center honor as well.

So far Spotify hasn't budged, in part because both Young and Mitchell are in their 70's and are not nearly the subscription drivers Rogan is ... it'll be interesting to see if younger singers jump on board, and if they do ... what will Spotify do?

UFC champ Julianna Pena believes COVID is "just a money grab" ... admitting this week she's "a massive conspiracy theorist" when it comes to the pandemic.

The starfighter -- who just beat Amanda Nunes to win the women's bantamweight title in a huge upset at UFC 269 -- made the eyebrow-raising comments to Joe Rogan on "The Joe Rogan Experience."

During a talk about coronavirus with the podcast host, Pena said, "I'm a massive conspiracy theorist on this whole thing and I have been since the very beginning."

"And I'm like, 'This is just a money grab,'" she said. "This is -- they're trying to kill us," she added. "You know? And this is ridiculous."

Rogan responded quickly, saying, "Woah."

"I don't think they're trying to kill us," Rogan said. "I think there's a lot of confusion as far as what works and what doesn't work."

It's unclear exactly who either meant by "they" -- but it appears to be government officials.

The two went on to talk about COVID masks... and both Pena and Rogan made it very clear they have doubts about their efficacy.

"Have you seen that guy where he takes a pull from a vape pen, on the outside, and then just like clouds and plumes of smoke come out?" Pena said. "Like, what is [the mask] really protecting?"

Pena added, "I don't put on a mask unless somebody asks me."